The present invention relates to a blanket washer for the cleaning of cylinders in a printing press, the blanket washer comprising a cleaning unit containing rolls for a cleaning cloth, which is to be transferred past an external pad unit on the cleaning unit.
A blanket washer of the kind referred to above is for example shown and described in EP-B-0 613 421. This blanket washer has a pad unit integrally provided at its front end, and the whole blanket washer may be transferred along its central longitudinal axis for bringing its cleaning cloth, transferred over the pad unit, into and out of cleaning engagement with a cylinder, for example a blanket cylinder, in a printing press.
A blanket washer of this kind does not have the desired flexibility for many uses. In many modern printing presses the space available for a blanket washer may be very limited, and it may for example be difficult to use a blanket washer with a fixed, central pad unit. Also, it may be desired to concurrently or alternatively clean more than one cylinder with one blanket washer for enhanced flexibility.
A blanket washer of the kind referred to with a greatly improved flexibility may according to the invention be attained in that means are provided for mounting one or more pad units in different positions on the cleaning unit.
Preferably, the cleaning unit has a front profile for the mounting of one or more pad units in different positions.
Hereby, a pad unit may be mounted obliquely in relation to the central longitudinal axis of the cleaning unit, if the available space is too limited for a centrally mounted pad unit. Also, two or even three cylinders may be cleaned by one blanket washer, provided with two or three pad units, respectively.
The front profile of the cleaning unit is preferably curved, and each pad unit has a corresponding curvature at its back side for abutment against the front profile. Firm positions for the pad units may hereby be attained in that the front profile and the back side of the pad units have corresponding longitudinal serrations.
The pad units may be attached to the front profile by means of for example screwing, adhesion, welding or snap-fastening, preferably by means of self-threading screws.